Apparatus for manufacturing long fibre into yarn



A ril 15, 1947. s. E. THOMAS ETAL 2,

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING LONG FIBRE INTO YARN Original Filed Sept. 50, 1940 II *p Patented Apr. 15, 1947 MANUFACTURING LONG INTO YARN Samuel lihcrnas and lNaiter R. Guthrie, Allentown, ha parry, Allentown, syivania Original application assignors to Lehigh Spinning Com- Pa., a corporation of Penn- September 30, 1940, Serial No. 359,126. Divided and this application Octoher 8, 19 2 4, Serial No. 557,446

2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for manu facturing long fibre into yarn and is a division of our earlier filed case Serial No. 359,126, filed September 30, 1940.

Fibres for manufacturing yarns have many classifications. There are the vegetable, animal, and artificial fibres, which may be subdivided into long and short fibres. Another classification pre sented in a survey by Charles Richard Dodge, at page 31 of Useful Fibre Plants of the World of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, published by the Government Printing Ofiice in 1907, reveals that fibres adapted for spinning may be di vide'd into fabric, netting, and cordage fibres. Cordage fibres are rarely used in weaving and netting because they are a hard fibre, and they are also long fibres. The method and apparatus of the present invention has particular application to the manufacture of a yarn from long vegetable fibre. It also has particular application to any long artificial fibres such as synthetic cellulose fibres prepared by the viscose, acetate, cuprammonium, nitrocellulose, and other processes, the product being known as rayon; or the artificial fibres of cellulose Xanthate, known as Cellophane; or the artificial fibres from the relatively new protein-like polyamides known as nylon. Flax, ramie, jute, etc., are examples of the long, soft, vegetable fibre, while coir, and manila, sisal, and common hemp are examples of long, hard, vegetable cordage fibre referred to herein.

One of the objects of the present invention resides in a simplified method of manufacturing long fibre, both hard and soft, into yarn. The initial step in the manufacture of the yarn is performed on the Goods principle, well known in the art, and which step is practiced by a combined combing and stretching or straightening machine of Good disclosed in U, S. Patent 94,462 of October 5, 1869. In the machine revealed in the aforesaid patent, the resulting sliver was of uneven Weight, and no provision was made for delivering it in a unit for subsequent treatment. The advantage of the simplified method of the present invention includes the feeding of the raw fibre to the Goods machine, in discontinuous lengths and under precision control to produce uniform weight, applying a softening emulsion to the raw fibre as it travels through the machine; and collecting the fibre under pressure in a continuous layer, such as a roll, in relatively large compact units adapted for treatment in subsequent operations in transforming the units into yarn. The initial step hitherto unknown in the industry will 235-1035) 2 process the long soft fibre in a manner that has many advantages over regulation methods,

among which are: I

It has been found. unnecessary to subject the raw fibre to the preliminary and customary crushing and opening operation by passing it through a series of softening rolls.

The raw fibre does not have to be pieced out in small heads accurately when the stock is controlled by the precision feed, but on the contrary, larger, and less uniform heads of raw fibre may be used.

The initial step of the process eliminates the use of special batching trucks and the use of large conditioning rooms in treating the long soft fibre.

When applied to the manufacture of yarns for cordage, where the long hard fibre is used, the initial step of the present invention has the advantage over current practice, in that the raw material does not require accurate piecing when the feed is controlled by the precision feed practiced herein; the softening emulsion permeates the mass of raw material because of the pressure applied when the sliver is collected into large compact units; the large compact units of the intermediate material may be handled and stored economically in the minimum of factory floor space; and the compact unit does not become ravelled and roughened in handling and will not break and slough so readily in subsequent operations.

Another object of the invention resides in the construction which enables a precision feeding device to be combined with a Goods machine i y which the weight of the fibre may be controlled to produce a finished yarn of the desired size.

With the foregoing objects in View, the invention consists of a novel apparatus capable of carrying these steps'to accomplishment but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to its scope beyond the claims subjoined, inasmuch as the disclosure reveals only the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

, Figure 1 is a side elevation in the nature of a diagram showing the precision feeding device, coupled with the (300615 machine combining the combing and spreading action, and a roll former coupled with the combined comber and spreader, which mechanism is the initial step in the treatment of both the hard and soft, long fibre.

Figure 2 isa front elevation of a register with which is combined the precision feeding device parts.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevation of Figures 2 and 3.

It will be understood that the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, from Figure 1 to Figure 4, inclusive, illustrates a method of manufacturing yarn from long soft fibre such as flax, ramie, jute, etc., where the heads or raw-stock, run from 5 to 12 feet long. The extremely vigorous combing action, together with the spreading, or drawing action, and the stretching and straightening action performed by the Goods machine of the character revealed in the Patent 95,462, is not followed primarily to break the fibre into shorter lengths. Although the machine does split some of the fibre in the direction of its length, and also does break the fibre into shorter lengths to some extent, the major portion of the breaking into shorter lengths is preferred to be accomplished in the breaker card, and in the case of the soft fibre, the ideal condition sought is to reduce the breaking into shorter lengths to a minimum in the Goods machine, and do all of the breaking in a breaker card.

Referring to the drawings where the apparatus is disclosed, an operator breaks the bales 26 of raw fibre and loads the loose fibres in parallel relation on a wheeled barrow, or box 2!, from where the box is moved onto the platform 22 of the weighing register of the precision feeding device, indicated generally at A. In order to obtain a desired weight in the finished yarn, it is one of the essential features of the present invention to control and regulate the feeding of the raw stock to the Goods machine, indicated generally at B. To accomplish this purpose, the operator is provided with a precision feeding device which eliminates the feeding of the machine B, by the skill of the operator alone, based on his experience developed by long periods of trial and error, commonly referred to as a rule of thumb.

Suitable drive mechanism connects the feeding device A with the operating mechanism of the feed table 25 and includes a shaft 4 rotatably supported on a suitable frame 39a. By means of shaft 4-5, motion is transmitted from the feed table 25 to the weighing register A. For this purpose, a miter gear 45 on the other end of shaft 40, meshes with a miter gear 46 at the upper end of a shaft 47. Shaft 41 is journalled in a bracket 48 supported by a frame 50 that is secured to the stand iii of the weighing register A. The weighing register A is of the regulation type having a dial 52 on the upper portion of the stand 5! and a tare beam 53 extending from the stand.

A register is initially selected to provide the necessary weighing facilities required for the present invention. In the present instance, the design may utilize anything less than one complete circumference of the dial 52. The weight indicating hand 54 cooperates with the dial to register the actual weight of the fibre in the wheeled box 2! on weighing platform 22, after the tare beam 53 is set to counterbalance the weight of the empty box in the customary manner well known in the industry. A shaft 55 is journaled in hearings on frame 50, and this shaft has a gear 55 at the outer end meshing with gear 5'! on shaft 47. Adjacent the inner end, the shaft 55 has a wheel fixed thereto formed with a peripheral V-shaped groove 53. The inner end of the shaft 55 supports a collar 59 that is freely rotatable around the shaft. The collar 59 carries an indicating hand 50 which is disposed to overhang the margin of dial 52 adjacent the scale markings El and follows a path conforming to the weight indicating hand 54 when it is coupled to move with the motion of the feed table 25. A spring-pressed detent rod 52 is mounted for sliding movement on the inner reaches of indicating hand, 85, and has a segmental head 63 normally engageable with the groove 58 in the wheel on shaft 55. When it is desired to release the engagement of the rod 62 with shaft 55, a lever 54, pivoted at 65 to hand 69, is pressed, and by a rocking connection 66 With rod 62, the head 53 is retracted free of the groove 58, whereupon the indicating hand 60 may be moved to the desired position on dial 52 independent of shaft 55. Upon release of lever 64, the head 63 grips the wheel on shaft 55, and the indicating hand 53 moves with shaft at a speed proportional to the speed of the feed table 25.

When a box 2! of raw fibre is placed on platform 22, and the weight-indicating hand 54 moves to the position on scale markings 6| commensurate with the actual weight of the contained fibre, after the tare has been deducted by the usual manipulation of tare beam 53, then the feed table speed-indicating hand is moved, as previously described, to a position coinciding with the position of hand 54, illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2, and released into engagement with shaft 5-5. As hand 60 moves counterclockwise, operator removes raw fibre from the box 2| and supplies it to the feed table 25, so as to keep the weight-indicating hand 54, moving in response to the loss of weight in box 2|, in substantial alignment with the movement of the speed-indicating hand 60. t will, therefore, be seen that the method of treating fibre herein, utilizes a regulated amount of fibre at a certain stage, preferably at th initial step where the fibre is fed to the Goods machine B, through the instrumentality of the precision feeding device as described in the foregoing.

We claim:

l. A precision feeding device for fibre in making yarn comprising a weighing register having a circular dial for fibre to be fed, a weight-indicating hand movable with respect to the dial upon an axis at the center thereof, a support carried by the register, power take-off means including a driven shaft rotatable about an axis coinciding with the axis of the weight indicating hand carried by the support, a grooved drive wheel rigidly mounted on the shaft, a collar freely rotatable about the shaft, a speed indicating means having a hand portion overhanging the margin of the circular dial carried by the collar and freely rotatable therewith, a spring pressed rod carried by the speed indicating hand, said rod having a segmental head normally engageable the groove of the drive wheel, and means for disengaging the segmental head and wheel whereby the overhanging hand portion of the speed indicating means may be freely moved to a desired position on the dial independently of the power take-off.

2. A precision feeding device for fibre in making yarn comprising a weighing register having a circular dial for fibre to be fed, a weight-indicating hand movable with respect to the dial upon an axis at the center thereof, a support carried by the register, power take-off means including a driven shaft rotatable about an axis coinciding with the axis of the wei ht indicating hand carried by the support, a drive wheel rigidly mounted on the shaft, a, collar freely rotatable about the '5 Q shaft, a speed indicating means having a hand portion overhanging the margin of the circular dial carried by the collar and freely rotatable therewith, a spring pressed rod carried by the speed indicating hand, said red having means normally engageable with the drive wheel, and means for disengaging the means carried by the rod and wheel whereby the overhanging hand portion of the speed indicating means may be freely moved to desired pesition on the dial independently of the power take-off.

SAMUEL E. THOMAS. WALTER R. GUTHRIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 15 Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Thomas Dec. 16, 1930 Montgomery Dec. 6, 1932 Clements ,1 Feb. 28, 1933 Montgomery Dec. 4, 1934 McCardle et al Jan. 12, 1937 Evoy Nov. 12, 1940 Collett Apr. 30, 1889 Capwell Jan. 3, 1911 Blanks Apr. 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date British 1886 

